Archive for the ‘health’ Category

i decided i want to stop using store bought dishwashing detergent. i want the best, so homemade it is.

while researching i found a couple good options, i think.

here are several different recipes for laundry detergent (yes, i’ve been here before, after eric’s BAD allergic reaction to borax i stopped using it all together…. but now i’ve found some without borax). click here to see the recipes. i’m thinking of trying #2 first. but with a twist.

Laundry Detergent Recipe #2

Ingredients

1 bar of grated soap

Baking soda (2 cups)

Hot water (2 gallons)

Method

Put the grated soap in a saucepan and fill it with hot water, enough to cover the soap. Keep the gas on medium heat and stir it till all soap melts

Transfer this mixture from the saucepan to a pail, add 2 gallons of hot water to it, and keep stirring.

Add baking soda to this mixture, continue stirring.

Allow it to cool

i’m thinking,

1 8oz bar of kiss my face olive oil soap grated or flaked with razor

2 cups of baking soda

mix well and store in air tight container.

i haven’t decided how much per load – thinking 1 tbsp. thoughts on that?

traditionally one adds borax but since we are so allergic i plan on using a bit of this booster in each load.

opinions on the laundry soap???

on to dishwashing detergent:

using kiss my face olive oil soap flakes. take warm water in a large bowl and add soap flakes in it. keep it on the burner on low and stir till all the snow flakes get dissolved completely.

once this is done, put in some glycerin and pull off burner.

after the mixture is completely cooled, pour in white vinegar,

4 ounces of lemon juice.

i’m thinking i’ll transfer the solution into an old dish soap bottle, so it’s easy to squirt out.

the recipe says to shake before using.

now after i typed all that – some say to just use a tsp of your dish soap.

• Countertops and Sinks
Baking Soda and Water: Keep counters clean by sprinkling with baking soda, then scrubbing with a damp cloth or sponge. If you have stains, knead the baking soda and water into a paste and let set for a while before you remove. This method also works great for stainless steel sinks, cutting boards, containers, refrigerators, oven tops and more.
Kosher Salt and Water: If you need a tougher abrasive on sinks and cast iron pans, sprinkle on kosher salt, and scrub with a wet cloth or sponge.
Natural Disinfectant: To knock out germs, mix 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. Spray or rub on countertops and other kitchen surfaces.

• Ovens
Baking Soda and Water: Coat the inside of your dirty appliance with a paste made from water and baking soda. Let stand overnight. Then, don gloves and scour off that grime. Make spotless with a moist cloth.

Bathrooms
• Porcelain and Tile
Baking Soda and Water (with Kosher Salt): To keep bathroom surfaces clean and odor-free, dust with baking soda, and scrub with a moist sponge or cloth. Kosher salt can be added to the mix to help with tougher grime.
Lemon Juice or Vinegar: Attack stains, mildew and any grease streaks by spraying or dousing with lemon juice or vinegar. Let sit a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush.

Disinfectant: Instead of bleach, make your own bathroom disinfectant by mixing: 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. Hydrogen Peroxide is a fantastic disinfectant, can be diluted ¼ cup of H2O2 to 2 cups water.

• Mirrors and Windows
It’s simple: mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels, which cause streaking.
If you can’t stand the smell of vinegar, you can substitute straight lemon juice or club soda (don’t dilute either in water).

• Clogged Drain
Baking Soda and Boiling Water (Vinegar if needed): plugged up? Pour 1/2-cup of baking soda into the problem drain, followed by 2 cups of boiling water. If that isn’t doing it for you, chase the baking soda with a 1/2-cup of vinegar and cover tightly, allowing the vigorous fizzing of the chemical reaction to breakup the gunk. Then flush that with one gallon of boiling water.

Floors
• Wood Floors
Oil and White Vinegar: You’ve heard that wood floors are more hygienic than carpet, but you aren’t sure how to keep that gorgeous glow all year long. Just mix equal parts oil and white vinegar, and apply in a thin coat. Rub it in well to bring out the best in the grain.

• Carpet and Rugs
Club Soda: spill something colored? Your best defense is to clean it up immediately with club soda. Here’s how: first, carefully lift off any solids. Then, liberally pour on club soda. Blot with an old rag until all the color from the spill is absorbed by your cloth. The soda’s carbonation should bring the spill to the surface, and the salts in the soda thwart staining.

Cornmeal: For big spills, dump cornmeal on the mess, wait 5 to 15 minutes, and vacuum up all the gunk.
Spot Cleaner: Make yourself a spot cleaner by mixing: 1/4-cup liquid soap or detergent in a blender, with 1/3-cup water. Mix until foamy. Spray on, then rinse with vinegar.

Just Beat It: For routine cleaning, take rugs outside and beat the dirt out of them the old-fashioned way.

To Deodorize: Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on the carpet or rug, using about 1 cup per medium-sized room. Vacuum after 30 minutes. Or mix two parts cornmeal with one part borax, sprinkle it around, and leave for an hour. Then vacuum.

Fabrics
• Antique Linens
Sunlight: What could be easier than sanitizing and removing stains… with sunlight! (Just don’t do it too often with fragile pieces, because they can start to breakdown). Simply lay your old lace, curtains and other fine linens on the grass in the sun for a few hours. Dirtier pieces can be dampened first.

Boiling: If that doesn’t do the trick, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil on your stovetop. Drop in linens and let steep until stains lift.

Detergent and Borax: Mix dishwasher detergent and borax together until you get a thick rubbing paste. Rub into soiled linens, then rinse clean.

Peroxide: If you have stubborn stains, try spraying them with peroxide, then rinsing with water.

• Laundry
Baking Soda: To gently soften and deodorize a load of laundry, add in 1 cup of baking soda before you put in your regular soap and the clothes.

Metals
• Silver
Aluminum Foil, Boiling Water, Baking Soda and Salt: Keep your sterling shined with this seemingly magic method. Line your sink or a bucket with aluminum foil, and drop in tarnished silver. Pour in boiling water, a cup of baking soda and a dash of salt. Let sit for a few minutes. The tarnish will transfer from the silver to the foil.

Toothpaste: If you can’t immerse your items or are otherwise inclined to polish by hand, rub tarnished silver with toothpaste and a soft cloth. Rinse with warm water and dry. Instead of toothpaste you can substitute a concoction made of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water.

Rate this:

how awesome is this! (notice, great for ulcers. i’m thinking banana pudding. YUM! but in reality in their natural organic form is ideal and will give you the best results!!)

After Reading this, you will NEVER look at a banana in the same way again! Bananas Contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes. But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel better.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex England ) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system…

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine,’ eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death from strokes by as much as 40%! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A banana a day keeps the doctor away!’

Footnote: If your roses are covered with Aphids, drape banana skins over the branches, I’ts amazing, but in a day or less, they are GONE! I’ve tried it, and I couldn’t believe it, no more aphids, as long as I save my banana skins for the rose bushes!

Advertisements

Rate this:

this is so cool! the questions they ask are good! i don’t agree that soda can be figured into your daily liquid. i think you need to drink MORE water if you drink soda or coffee. 🙂 but that’s my only beef.

this morning i woke up frustrated and wanting an easy quick road out of this mess.

after a sleepless night because the pain was so intense, i just wanted a quick-fix-pill.

so i went looking for reasons why that is the DUMBEST thing i could want!

check this out from healing ulcer’s naturally:

The companies that produce Tagamet and Zantac consider them “perfect drugs” because they are expensive (a full therapeutic dose usually costs about $150 per month), and they have the highest relapse rate (92 percent) of any anti-ulcer treatment. The result? A person becomes dependent on a very expensive drug, because without it, the ulcer may come back.

Are these really perfect drugs? For most people the answer is definitely no. Tagamet and Zantac are associated with a number of side effects, including digestive disturbances, nutritional imbalances, liver dysfunction, disruption of bone metabolism, and breast development in men.

The other medical treatment for ulcers is antacids; however, many popular antacids also have serious side effects. The calcium carbonate antacids (Tums, Alka-2, etc.) actually produce a “rebound” effect on gastric acid secretion and may cause kidney stones. The sodium bicarbonate antacids (Rolaids, Alka-Seltzer, BromoSeltzer, etc.) tend to cause systemic alkalosis and interfere with heart and kidney function. The type of antacids used most often in the treatment of ulcers are aluminum-magnesium compounds (Maalox, Mylanta, Di-Gel, etc.), which may cause calcium and phosphorus depletion as well as possible aluminum toxicity or the accumulation of aluminum in the brain.

thank you healing ulcer’s naturally. this gave me the ammo i needed to stop wallowing in self-pity and do the hard things.

so with my sister’s help and my mom’s patience reading some excerpts from her books over the phone, we have some solutions!

what i’ve been doing is all wrong!

GASP!

i’ve been eating organic whole milk cream on top yogurt popsicles and plain yogurt before meals to coat my stomach (this is GREAT for establishing a healthy gut with good bacteria with probiotics, BUT is not good when rebuilding, so wait a couple days before you do this!). i have everything out to make homemade pudding to also use to coat my stomach. i’ve been eating breyers real cream ice cream to do the same. guess what! diary is the worst thing you can do when trying to heal mucous membrane. alrighty then! on my own i’m self destructive.

stay away from dairy for a bit (even tho this website with their 10 foods says yogurt is GOOD! i think so too, just not until the membrane heals some more)

go grocery shopping to get some of these healing foods as soon as we have a working car available! (doesn’t coleslaw sounds good!!!)

drink as much aloe vera juice as i can muster (this stuff is fizzy and nasty! have some strong juice to chase it with!).

even rub some on my stomach.

take goldenseal/echinacea.

rub comfrey on my tummy.

eat a spoonful of raw honey before bed to ease the nighttime pain.

i’m also attempting to balance the good and bad bacteria in my gut as well.

this is not my idea of a good start to a pregnancy:

quick weight lose.

major stomach irritants.

inability to eat in the evening.

not. good.!

here’s to week 9! let’s hope this is the best one yet!

** so i drank 2 oz of aloe vera juice twice yesterday. just twice. and i have been pain free within 30 min of the first dose. unreal! i’m telling you! this is unbelievable! i don’t know if i doubted it all or if i just expected it to take a couple days… but i’m eating and everything sounds good again, this is just so huge after 5 weeks of hardly being able to eat anything!!! i’m still treating the ulcer with immune support and aloe vera juice. cuz even though i don’t have any pain, i still have to rebuild a strong stomach lining. but here’s to doing it pain free! YAY! 🙂

Advertisements

Rate this:

my sisters and parents have had theirs for quite a while now but we are just now installing one in our new house. i’m really excited! we’ll also install an ro system under the kitchen sink so we won’t be lugging culligan water 5 gal refills to and from walmart every week. WOOHOO! 🙂